Kimberley, the "Diamond City", was a key Boer target at the beginning of the South African War of 1899-1902. The wily Boer marksmen besieging his town were less of an annoyance to the befuddled British commander than his civilian opposite number, the diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes.

As was often to be the case during the war, the British force suffered heavy casualties in several badly-handled engagements. The battle at Magersfontein was particularly tragic, as the Highland Brigade walked into an ambush by Boer marksmen in fog-shrouded trenches armed with the latest German rifles. This proved to be one of the bloodiest days in Scottish military history. The battles of 1899, and Kimberley and the surrounding towns are vividly described, with maps, drawings and then-and-now photographs.